A Winter's Tale
by REIDFANATIC
Summary: Can the BAU find the answers in time to save a city from tragedy during the holiday season?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: See my profile

A/N: Hi everyone, this is my entry into the-vampire-act's holiday fics contest. Please enjoy!

I would like to dedicate this story to my wonderful friend and mentor, mablereid.

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"How does this look Reid?" Garcia asked as she finished winding shiny red tinsel around the fir tree that stood near the break area in the BAU.

"It looks fine Garcia." Reid said absentmindedly.

"You're not even looking," Garcia replied.

Reid turned from his coffee and the challenger Sudoku puzzle he was working on and looked at the tree with colorful lights that blinked in a set pattern, now further adorned with red tinsel. "Like I said, it looks fine."

"Where's your Christmas spirit sweetcheeks?" His flamboyant friend asked.

Where was his Christmas spirit? He was always so hyped up for Halloween, but that was different. Halloween could be a solitary observance. You could dress up and go around the neighborhood alone. Halloween was a time when you could, and were expected to, hide your true self and become something or somebody else. Christmas was different. Christmas was about togetherness and family. Christmas was the most blatant reminder that he was alone. Maybe that's why it came in December; the end of the year, to rub his nose in the fact that yet another year had passed and he was still alone. That loneliness seemed all the more exaggerated this year without JJ.

"Reid, could you please help me out here," Garcia said when he didn't respond. "I need someone tall to put the star on the top."

"Did you know that the star on the top of the tree represents the Star of Bethlehem?" he said as he took the star from her, his long fingers firmly fitting it over the top branch of the tree. "The first Christmas tree," he continued, "was associated with St. Bonaface in Germany. He found a fir tree growing out of the roots of an old oak tree and took it as a sign of Christianity. He took it into the home, insisting that Christ be at the center of your household." Garcia placed a box of shiny ornaments and snowflakes on the table, gesturing for Reid to take some and help her with the tree. "The custom of setting up a tree in the home is traced back to Germany in the 16th century. It was first decorated with apples, nuts and dates. Lights, in the form of candles, came later. The tree was introduced as a tradition in Britain when Queen Victoria wed Prince Albert of Germany. There are several cities in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, of mainly German descent, that lay claims to the first Christmas trees in this country."

"Baby girl," Morgan, who'd just arrived, said as he stood with his arms crossed. "Are you going to let him ramble on forever? Don't you know not to encourage him like that?"

"I was enjoying it, I'll have you know. It's nice to learn new things once in a while. I know that Santa Claus began in Germany as Kris Kringle, right?" she looked to Reid for verification and he nodded as he placed a bright red ball on the branch.

"Hey, looking good you guys," Emily joined the threesome. "Reid, move that green ball one branch to the right." Reid did as instructed. "Perfect," she said.

Hotch opened the door of his office and looked down at the bullpen. Garcia and Reid were decorating a Christmas tree while Morgan and Prentiss were offering commentary. Suddenly the foursome laughed, making what he had to do even harder. "BAU team, conference room," he said, as he strode down the walkway to the room, giving a light tap on Rossi's door as he went by.

Morgan sighed, "So much for the Christmas spirit."

They left the half decorated tree and headed for the stairs, each hating their job at this time of year.

After they were seated, Hotch began, "I got a call this morning, the NSA picked up on some chatter about a proposed terrorist attack, date, time and location, of course, unspecified. They believe it's likely to occur within the next few days. From past decryptions, the only information they're willing to state with any degree of accuracy, is they believe the target is, once again, in New York City. Homeland Security has raised the terror alert."

"So we have to try and figure out where they're going to strike in time to stop it," Prentiss said. "And we don't have anyone like Jind Allah that we can work on to give up the site."

"And if we don't, it's going to be 9/11 all over again," Morgan stated.

"Do you think that picking New York has anything to do with all of the controversy revolving around this mosque going up?" Garcia asked.

"Oh, do not even go there Garcia." Morgan barked.

"Morgan," Hotch said sternly. "They've already considered that aspect, and also if because of the feeling that the proposed Mosque is being attacked, that the terrorists might hit churches in the city. They've all been placed under surveillance just in case. NYPD has set up a task force along with our field office there."

"A church is too small," Rossi said, shaking his head. "There aren't always people in a church, although granted more do attend in the holiday season, but it would be nothing compared to the towers or what they planned to do at the mall in McLean."

"So where does that leave us?" Prentiss asked.

"Nowhere, that's where," Morgan replied angrily.

"Let's not debate this here." Hotch said. "Let's get in the air so we can get to New York ASAP. We can discuss any theories on the plane. Wheels up in thirty," he stood and left the room.

"Well, Merry Christmas," Rossi said as the rest of the team stood and followed Hotch.

Garcia looked at the half decorated tree as her teammates rushed, go bags in hand, to get to the plane that would take them into danger once again. She ran one of the green prickly branches between her fingers. It just wasn't right.

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As the plane reached cruising altitude the team members moved about the plane, into a tight circle rather that scattered about as they had been since takeoff. "You've been quiet Reid," Hotch said as he saw the young man, his fist under his chin, looking silently at the table in front of him, which, for once, didn't contain the grizzly pictures of some tortured bodies and souls.

"It's all about symbols," he said at last.

"All about symbols, what do you mean exactly?" Prentiss asked.

"On 9/11 the terrorists attacked symbols in our country, the trade centre, the Pentagon, and thank God not the White House. These buildings are symbols of our economy, of our military and of our leader. You listen to the news and they don't say, "The president says or doesn't say this; they say the White House says or doesn't say…" He paused for a moment. "So to us the mosque, an Islamic place of worship, is a symbol of the terrorists who committed the atrocities on 9/11. We go into battle for our freedoms. They go into battle for Allah. So, is the building of the mosque an attempt to shove our Bill of Rights and our Constitution down our throats? Maybe they want to attack those freedoms, like freedom of worship, by using those very liberties to build a symbol of their own."

Rossi leaned forward, interested in the workings of this extraordinary mind, "Where are you going with this?"

"I was thinking of something that's written on a plaque, 'I believe in an all-wise and all loving God, named by whatever name, and that the individual's highest fulfillment, greatest happiness and widest usefulness are to be found in living in harmony with His will.' That's a quote by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in Rockefeller Centre. Christmas is the most sacred of Christian holidays and what is the symbol of Christmas?"

"The Christmas tree," Prentiss responded, then opened her mouth widely and gasped. "The biggest symbol of that is the tree in Rockefeller Centre."

Reid nodded, "And what else is there? Television news networks, Time/Life, McGraw Hill, all examples of freedom of the press, Bank of America, The GE Building, Radio City Music Hall which has become a landmark, and the hugely famous architectural art sculptures. Look at the streets around the plaza, Fifth Avenue, Avenue of the Americas. It is so ripe for Muslim implication of the American way of life, how we have taken the birth of Christ and turned it into a vehicle for our greed, and representing it all, that Christmas tree."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See my profile

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The team strode into the FBI field office in New York, where they were met by Section Chief Dan Meadows, a tall, well built man, around fifty with graying hair and a prominent mole on his neck right near his Adam's apple. Hotch hazarded a guess that his hair would be a lot grayer by the time this was over. He introduced the team.

"Thanks so much for coming, you've been briefed?" Meadows said.

"Yes, we're up to speed on everything." Hotch replied.

Men and women mingled around the room, not sure what to do. They were awaiting an attack from an unknown enemy. Not knowing what form that attack would take and where it would happen, how were they supposed to prepare. Reid noticed two men in the group that he knew. He nudged Emily with his elbow, "Detectives Brustin and Cooper," he whispered.

"Yes," Meadows said, overhearing Reid, "they're both part of the NYPD task force. They said they had worked with you on that case a couple of years ago. We have volunteers from every borough in the city, but until we know something more concrete, it's hard to know what to do. We're keeping an eye on ingress and egress but," he paused for a moment, "it's Christmas, so everything is outside the normal."

"We might have a theory about that," Rossi said.

"Already, I'm impressed," Meadows said as the team followed him into his office and explained Reid's Rockefeller Center angle.

"That makes sense… I guess… attacking something so prominently representing the holiday season. But we have no proof, I can't just go evacuating Rockefeller Center on a hunch from your boy," Meadows replied after hearing the theory.

"Dr. Reid," Rossi faced the section chief with fire in his eyes, before Morgan, who looked ready to plow the guy, got at him, "is an excellent profiler and he's correct about 99% of the time. I've learned to never take what he says lightly."

"And we're not asking that you evacuate Rockefeller Center," Hotch said. "That would only create mass panic in an, for many people, already stressful time of year."

"Then what do we do? Do you think they'd actually be able to get a bomb big enough to blow up the place in there without anybody noticing? That would be impossible."

"Tell that to the people in Oklahoma City," Reid said, leaning against the window sill. "I'm sure they'll be comforted."

Meadows looked at the young man who looked like he should be attending classes on a college campus, not chasing serial killers and terrorists, "I apologize, point taken." He waited for a moment. "So, what do we do?"

"We get a high police presence, in plain clothes to check out the center, to see if there's anything we can find," Hotch said. "As far as who we're looking for, you could try calling Quantico. Speak to a woman named Jordan Todd in counterterrorism. She can find out who's on their watch lists, homegrown and otherwise and coordinate with our technical analyst, Penelope Garcia. If there's anything to be found, those women will find it."

"I still don't see how they'll get something big enough to do a lot of damage. There're a few buildings to try and blow up, that would take some heavy duty explosives," Meadows countered.

"Maybe they're not planning an explosion; maybe they're planning something like serin," Reid suggested. "It's colorless and odorless. People likely wouldn't even know they'd been in contact with it until the symptoms started appearing, and when they do, they just appear like a cold. People could ignore them until it's too late."

"Wouldn't the terrorists be affected as well? I mean they couldn't come into the place wearing gas masks?" Meadows asked.

"As long as they got the Atropine and Pralidoxime within four hours of the exposure, they'd be fine," Reid replied.

"But still," Meadows continued to play devil's advocate, "how are they going to plant whatever they want to use? Like I said, it's a big place."

"We think they're not likely to plant a big bomb, but many little ones, the same if it's something like serin," Morgan said.

"How are they going to do that?"

"In the underground passages of Rockefeller Center there are shops. What does everyone do at this time of year, they shop." Emily said. "No one is going to be suspicious of a guy with a shopping bag. Everyone has them right now. No one thinks that instead of a gift for someone, it contains a bomb or a container to release serin gas. And if he happens to walk off and leave it, well, I bet that kind of thing happens every day, nothing to raise alarm bells with people who are just trying to get their last minute shopping done."

"And there won't be just one, there'll be as many as they can find and they'll all look like normal guys shopping for Christmas. " Hotch said. "Once they plant it they go out the door and the subway platform is right there."

Meadows slowly sat in the leather chair behind his desk, the look of outright disbelief visibly changing to that of horror stricken acceptance. He slowly raised his eyes and looked at Reid. "Where do we start?"

"Can you get blue prints of Rockefeller Center so we can find out where best placement of explosives would be? It would help for maximum surveillance," Reid said. "Also, since we're not sure how this will go down, you should probably make sure that all hospitals and emergency responders have plentiful supplies of Atropine and Pralidoxime, just in case."

"Sure, I'll get Shelly right on it. I'll also try to get you an architect…"

"No need," Morgan replied as they left the office for the bullpen. "One of Reid's doctorates is in engineering. He'll be able to tell us as much, if not more than an architect."

"One of his doctorates," Meadows repeated.

Prentiss nodded. "The other two are in chemistry and mathematics. He's also got Ba's in psychology and sociology and he's almost completed his Ba in philosophy."

"Can I just say," Meadows swallowed visibly making the mole on his neck bob up and down, "I'm glad he's on our side."

"We all are," Rossi said, "believe me, we all are."

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"Then Reid got shot," Emily said as she and Detective Cooper sat together in the underground of Rockefeller Center, appearing to be taking a break from their shopping. They hadn't spotted anything suspicious so far.

"I can relate to that," Cooper said.

"Yeah, in the leg, he was on crutches for a long time. I'm glad he's back now."

"So you guys have been through a lot since I last saw you."

"Yeah, what's up with you and the family?" Emily asked.

"We're good, everything's good. My wife's expecting our second in a couple of months, so she's going through that period when she thinks she's a whale. My son can't wait to see his little sister."

"Oh, a little girl, Cooper that's great, congratulations. I bet she'll have daddy wrapped around her teeny finger in no time."

"Hey," Cooper bent his head and whispered in her ear. "Don't let something like that get out; I've got a reputation to maintain."

"Mum, or dad in this case, is the word," Emily said, zipping her lips with her fingers.

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The daylight had faded away early, as it did this time of year, and the city lay cloaked in darkness. The team sat around the board in the bullpen, the blueprints tacked up, prime areas marked off with Reid's red marker. Plain clothed officers, New York agents and the team had staked out the center until everything had shut down for the night.

"Nothin'," Morgan said. "We got nothin'."

"We'll get out there in full force in the morning." Hotch said. "Right now we need to get some rest. If they're going to do anything it'll have to be tomorrow. It's Christmas Eve."


	3. Chapter 3

Cooper and Prentiss, once again, took their places in the shopping area, pretending to look at the merchandise, their eyes alert to the goings on around them. When one looked right, the other left, so they would miss nothing, if anything did happen. Hotch and Meadows had placed two people near each of the sites Reid had chosen as likely places for a terrorist to leave his weapon of choice. There were also more officers and agents in various intervals throughout the shopping area who walked around and changed places with one another. Plain clothes officers were placed at every exit to nab the perpetrator when he tried to leave the scene. On paper, it appeared they had all of their bases covered.

"Prentiss, to the right, a young guy with a shopping bag, right next to the ATM, he put it down and now he's leaving it," Cooper said as he began to run toward the abandoned shopping bag.

Prentiss spoke into her watch. "A guy blue jacket, east entrance, he's left a bag, stop him."

"Roger that," the cop on the other end replied.

Cooper looked inside the bag and saw only a pink sweater. He gently lifted it to see what was beneath, a pair of black gloves and a purse. _Cooper, he's coming back,_ he heard in his earpiece. "This yours," Cooper said to the man in the blue jacket who reappeared suddenly.

"Yeah, thank God someone didn't take it. My sister would never believe her Christmas present was stolen. She'd say I was too cheap to buy her one." He took the bag from Cooper.

"I was just going to take it to lost and found," Cooper said, "Merry Christmas."

"False alarm," Prentiss alerted the officers watching the doors.

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"Are we sure we're not doing something totally insane," one of the officers said after they'd been surveiling for about two hours?

Meadows looked at Rossi and Hotch at the command post. "I can understand where he's coming from, we've got every extra man we could get, walking around doing nothing on Christmas Eve."

"I know this may seem like it's all for nothing," Hotch stated, "but I can assure you, if you knew Dr. Reid you'd un…"

"We got a guy leaving a bag near the west side of 30 Rock," Morgan's voice said just as another cut in.

"We got one under the GE building." Another voice said.

"Green bomber jacket," Morgan said, "headed for the subway exit on 5th Avenue." He went over to the bag to check out its contents.

"Got him," the cops on the subway platform replied in Morgan's and Reid's ears.

"Reid, it's a bomb," Morgan said, "and it's on a timer."

"Get the bomb squad in here," Reid said into his watch. "We've got ten minutes."

"Tell them to concentrate on the others Reid. I think I can defuse this. Just get someone in to clear the area."

"Morgan, are you sure about that?"

"Don't argue with me kid, just do it."

Reid did as Morgan suggested and officers came to clear the crowd that had gathered around the two agents. "Morgan," Reid said seriously. "You know if you get blown up, Garcia will kill me."

"You're on your own with Garcia doc," Morgan said, pocket knife in hand, as he studied the workings of the bomb. "This doesn't look too complicated. I just have to disconnect the detonator that'll blow up the powder."

"Well, that's reassuring," Reid replied sarcastically.

"One thing about bombers, they're not creative, once they get something that works, they stick with it. The powder itself isn't dangerous. It needs the detonator. They needed something that was of no risk while they carried it to their destination. This fit the bill."

"Like the UPS bombs sent from Yemen?" Reid said.

"Uh huh," Morgan responded.

"Still, is this the right place to do it?" Reid asked. "What if there's a failsafe rigged into it?"

"You got a better idea?"

"What about the skating rink? It'll be easier to clear people away, you can move with the bomb, and it's a more open space if…"

"Clear us a path so we can all get to the skating rink," Morgan said into his wrist as he grabbed the bag and he and Reid began to run.

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"He hasn't got any ID on him," Cooper said as they pulled the young man who'd planted the first bomb to his feet. He'd been captured but, with law enforcement more concerned about public safety, his co-conspirators had gotten away.

Emily snapped a picture of him on her phone, and then pressed speed dial. "Garcia, I need to know who this guy is and everything about him," she told the computer tech.

NYPD had cleared everyone from the skating rink as Morgan and eight others with the bomb squad brought bags out onto the icy surface. "Let's just slide the bags along the ice," one of the bomb squad members said. "Don't want to risk anybody falling, just in case."

The officers slid their bags toward the middle of the rink, as far away from people as possible. "Reid, you really don't need to be here man," Morgan said to his partner who leant down behind him.

"I'm not going anywhere Morgan."

"Your partner's right," one of the bomb techs, a tall blond woman said. "We don't need to risk anyone else's life. You should move back."

"I'm not going anywhere," Reid said adamantly, "and we don't have time to argue about this."

"Okay," Morgan said, "let's do this."

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Hotch's phone rang. "What have you got for us Garcia?"

"Your bomber in custody is Jeremy Belzer, he's 24 from Albany. He was convicted at 22 of attempted arson of the state legislature. He was caught trying to cross the border into Canada. He spent almost two years in Rykers. He was there at the same time as one, Akmed Habibi."

"Hotch," Jordan Todd, who had spent the morning with Garcia, interjected, "Habibi is known to us as a recruiter. He lands himself in prison, hoping to find individuals who are dissatisfied enough with their government that they'll join the cause, and hopefully put them in touch with like minded individuals."

"Thanks Garcia, Jordan," Hotch said as he closed his phone and let out the breath he felt he'd been holding since he'd risen that morning.

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"We foiled this attack and got one of the terrorists. The dogs have been over every inch of that place and we're confident we got all the devices," Hotch said after the bomb squad had given the all clear. "Luckily, the bombs weren't too sophisticated and were able to be defused with no loss of life. In our line of work, that's a good day. I doubt Belzer will give up any of his cell. I'd put him on a suicide watch, he's likely to try and die for the cause. You can put a BOLO out on Habibi, but your chances aren't good. I suggest you keep in contact with Agent Jordan Todd in counterterrorism. It's likely that this cell will cool down for a while after their attack was foiled and one of their members was captured. As it stands now though, there's nothing more we can do for you here, so we'll head back to Quantico."

Dan Meadows reached out his hand and shook Hotch's, and then Rossi's, "Good working with you, Merry Christmas."

Hotch and Rossi thanked him and headed for the door. Hotch pulled out his phone. "Morgan, let's meet at the hotel and pick up our things and hit the airport." He looked at his watch, "Wheels up in an hour."

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"Great working with you again Cooper," Prentiss said as she shook the detective's hand. "Looks like you're going to get home in time to play Santa. You make sure you let me know when your little girl is born."

"I will Agent Prentiss, for sure," Cooper replied.

"Please, call me Emily."

"Okay Emily." He watched her head to the SUV with Morgan and Reid.

Emily, he thought, what a lovely name for a little girl.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See my profile

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Erin Strauss marched through the glass doors into the BAU, the heels of her navy blue pumps clicking on the floor as she walked. They matched the navy blue skirt and jacket she wore with a navy and white paisley blouse. Her steely grey eyes surveyed the almost empty room. Almost empty, except for Agent Prentiss and Technical Analyst Garcia, who sat at the table in the break area wrapping gifts. Beside the table stood an artificial fir tree with colorful blinking lights. Ornaments and snowflakes hung from the branches which were draped in bright, shiny, red tinsel while a brilliant star was the pinnacle of the festive sight. She looked at her watch, 3:10. "Where is everyone?" she asked, stepping up to the pair.

"Well…uh…ma'am," Garcia said, jumping at the sound of the section chief's voice; "Agents Hotchner, Morgan, Rossi and Dr. Reid are delivering food hampers to some needy families in the community. Agent Anderson and Technical Analyst Kevin Lynch are in the locker room putting together a tricycle and a doll house for our visit to the children's ward at GWMC."

"And your reports," she looked at Emily.

"Done, ma'am, we all finished them on the plane back and they've already been sent through the internal mail," Emily replied.

"What's all this?" she asked.

"Presents," Garcia stated the obvious.

"I can see that. What are they doing in the bullpen?" the section chief barked.

"We're taking them to the children in the hospital," Emily replied. "There's been a box here for weeks and everybody's brought donations."

Strauss reached into the box and pulled out something yet to be wrapped, a checkers and chess game. "Let me guess, Dr. Reid," she stated sarcastically.

"I wouldn't know…" Garcia replied, "ma'am." She rose from her seat and said brightly, "Would you like some eggnog?"

Strauss eyed the liquid in a huge bowl on the counter suspiciously.

"There's nothing in it ma'am. That would be inappropriate in the workplace."

Erin Strauss almost let a smile grace her lips. Since when had Penelope Garcia been appropriate in the workplace? "Alright," she said.

Garcia ladled a cup of the milky liquid and Strauss took it, turned on her heel and left the room, without another word.

"Well, bah humbug to you too," Emily whispered after her.

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Morgan and Reid each pulled another box from the back of the SUV. This was the second family they'd delivered to. Sheila Hunter opened her apartment door after the two men had lugged the heavy boxes, containing everything one needed for the best holiday feast and more, up three flights of stairs. "Oh my God," she said as tears filled her eyes. "Thank you, thank you so much. Please come in." She ushered them into the small apartment where four other pairs of eyes widened as they watched the men put down the boxes.

They were going to have Christmas dinner after all, just like their friends at school. They didn't think it could happen after daddy had died and mommy had to look after them all alone. The black man had a shopping bag over his wrist and it had presents in it.

"Sheila, I'm Derek Morgan and this," he gestured in Reid's direction, "is Spencer Reid," Reid nodded.

"Thank you so much, you don't know what this means to us." She went to the children. "This is Michael," the boy Morgan thought to be about eight reached out and shook his hand.

"Hi there Michael," Morgan said. "My dad passed away when I was young like you so I know what it's like, Reid does too," he indicated his partner. "The first Christmas is really hard so we wanted to see if we could make it a little easier for you."

"And these are, Laura, Tammy and Gina," she indicated the three little girls with blond hair like their mother's. Reid figured they were about six, five and two."

"We hope you enjoy the goodies in there," Morgan said to the family. "You all have a Merry Christmas."

"Yes, Merry Christmas," Reid echoed.

"Merry Christmas," the children chimed as one.

"Thank you again so much," Sheila said as she showed them to the door. "I don't know what I would have done if it hadn't been for you."

"We were happy to do it," Reid said, "Merry Christmas." Morgan echoed Reid's words before they left the apartment.

"I sure hope the girls have the gifts all wrapped," Morgan said as they started the SUV and headed back to Quantico.

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"Hotch," Emily said from the back of the SUV she rode in with him, Rossi and Jack who they'd picked up on their way to GMAC. "Strauss stopped by the BAU and wasn't too pleased to find nobody but me and Garcia there. I just thought I'd give you the heads up in case she mentions it."

"She better not mention it," Rossi said, "or she and I will have words. She likely doesn't know the meaning of the words Merry Christmas."

The two SUV's, one carrying Hotch, Rossi, Prentiss and Jack, and the second with Morgan, Reid, Garcia and Lynch pulled up at the front of the hospital to unload all the gifts; from there Hotch and Morgan went to park the vehicles before the team made their way up to the children's ward.

As they entered the lobby, Reid had a bag of gifts in one hand and a tricycle in the other; Prentiss carried a bag of gifts in each hand while Rossi and Lynch each took sides of the massive dollhouse that Kevin and Anderson had put together in the locker room, replete with miniature sized furniture. Garcia carried a bag of Santa hats that were green instead of red, indicating they were Santa's helpers and held Jack's hand.

They all stopped dead when they entered the lobby.

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The elevator on the sixth floor opened and Strauss stepped out, entered the BAU and took her empty eggnog cup over to the counter. The eggnog had been delicious actually, and she was glad that TA Garcia had suggested it. She put the cup on the counter and noticed there was still a little left in the bowl. Maybe she'd have another cup before she left. There was nothing to hurry home for; the kids were spending Christmas with their father. She filled the ladle with eggnog and spilled a little on the counter. She turned to the sink to get a cloth, not seeing that some had also dripped to the floor. Suddenly her feet were sliding out from under her and she was falling. Her head hit the side of the table as she fell, leaving her in a silent and motionless heap on the floor


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See my profile

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"JJ," Emily squealed excitedly as the team saw her, Will and Henry waiting in the lobby.

Henry broke away from his parents and toddled toward Garcia and Reid. "Peppy, Pess," he called out to them.

Emily put down her gifts and embraced JJ warmly. "What are you doing here?"

"We're family, remember. Do you think I'd miss out on this?"

Rossi and Kevin put down the dollhouse; the others had also relinquished their loads, and were greeting JJ when Morgan and Hotch walked through the door, both displaying their surprise and pleasure at seeing JJ there.

"It's good to see you," Hotch said. "We miss you."

"That's for sure," the others readily agreed.

"I miss you all too," JJ responded.

"It's dark out," Jack suddenly piped up. "What if I'm not in bed when Santa comes?"

"Why don't I check on that?" Reid said taking his cell from his pocket and walking away from them. He appeared to speak quietly to someone and rejoined the group. "I just talked to NORAD; they're tracking Santa and he's still over Western Europe, so we have some time Jack. You'll be okay."

"What's NORAD," Jack asked innocently before anyone could stop him.

"NORAD is the North American Aerospace Defense Command," Reid rambled. "It used to be CONAD, the Continental Defense Command and they began tracking Santa in 1955, but they changed to NORAD in 1958. NORAD tracks airplanes, missiles, space launches and anything that flies around the North American continent, including Santa."

Morgan rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the history lesson Reid, but he's four," he said as Jack stared blankly at Reid.

"I knew stuff like that when I was four, not that I actually belie…"

"Ahem," Hotch cleared his throat. "See Jack, it's fine," his father told him. "Now we're going to go try to make the sick kids happier, okay." Jack nodded, agreeable to the plan now that he knew he wasn't going to be in Santa's bad books.

"So how's the Pentagon?" Morgan asked JJ.

"That's for another day; tonight let's just enjoy the holiday and the kids," she said as Garcia distributed the hats, with only slight protests from Reid and Hotch. She took Henry's hand while everyone retrieved their loads once again and headed for the children's ward.

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_Everything seemed foggy. She didn't know where she was. "Is anybody there?" She called out but no one answered. She thought she saw a form up ahead. "Is somebody there?" She asked again. Suddenly through the fog, the form became clear. "Agent Jareau," she asked._

"_Yes, it's me. You didn't think you'd see me again, did you? You thought I was gone. You don't even want to think about why I'm gone, do you? That because you're so desperate to get ahead, to get to the top, you'd do anything the powers that be asked, without even questioning whether it's the best thing for me or the team, for the people you're supposed to be leading."_

_The form retreated once again. "Wait, don't go, don't leave me here alone," she called out but no one responded._

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The children were in the playroom, at least all that could be. Some sat in chairs and on the floor; others were in wheelchairs, while still others had been brought to the room in their beds. Some were hooked up to IV's, some had casts and bandages, one pale, fragile looking little girl had oxygen tubing running from her nose to a tank on the back of her wheelchair. But none could disguise their excitement, their mouths and eyes opening wide, at the sight of the team entering with a huge dollhouse, a tricycle and bags of gifts.

"Hi everybody, I'm Penelope," Garcia said. "We thought we could have a little fun tonight before you all go to sleep and wait for Santa."

"I don't think Santa will come here," a boy about eight whose cheeks were flushed as if he had a fever, and with a name tag stuck on his pajamas that declared he was Connor, sadly admitted.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Emily said as she and the others stuck name tags of their own, supplied by the nurses, to their clothing.

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_She was struggling, trying to make her way through the soupy fog to the light, but she couldn't seem to move. She felt the presence of another form up ahead. "Who is it? Who's there," she called out._

_The form materialized from the fog, but it was not one, but two people. "Agent Morgan, Dr. Reid, what are you doing here? I don't care why you're here, just help me out of here," she demanded._

"_We can't help you," Dr. Reid responded. "You're here because of your actions. Only you can get yourself out."_

"_What do you mean, my actions; I don't know what you're talking about," she snapped._

_Agent Morgan raised his hand as if holding a television remote. "Why don't we watch," he said. _

_She looked in the direction of his hand and the fog became bright, as if she were watching a big screen television. It was her children. They were younger than they were now. "I don't know why mom even fought for custody of us. She's never here. She doesn't care." Her son said._

"_Why do you think dork face," his sister responded. "She wants to be head of the bureau someday. That's all she cares about. Do you think they'd let her lead the bureau if they felt she couldn't even handle her own kids."_

"_No, no that's not true, it's not." She looked at Morgan and Reid. "It's not all I care about."_

"_Are you sure about that?" Reid asked as Morgan clicked the remote again._

_She sat at the desk in her office. Across from her sat Emily Prentiss. "Your team is in trouble, I believe they are reckless and out of control…." She watched herself on the screen. "It's time for Agent Hotchner's career to come to an end, and you're going to help me make that happen." The screen suddenly went black._

"_I…I…"_

"_You can save your words Strauss," Morgan said. "Your actions speak for themselves."_

_The pair began to fade back into the fog. "No wait, don't go. Help me get out of here," she begged, but they vanished as fast as they'd appeared._

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Jack had been chosen to pass out the gifts he got from Garcia who'd divided them into age and gender appropriate arrangements. "Look what I got," Connor squealed with delight as he unwrapped a Ninga Hampster.

Reid and Emily could hear the excited cries from the playroom as they walked down the hallway with their big bag and entered each room, putting a stuffed animal on each bed. On the way back to the playroom, they stopped at the nurses' desk. "We made up some stockings from Santa," Emily told the nurse. "They're in that bag over there, if you could just pass them out when the kids are asleep."

The nurse nodded. "Thanks so much for doing this; it's so sad for kids to be in the hospital at this time of year."

Reid and Emily returned to the playroom from their mission to see the children happily engrossed in their celebrations. They were about to join the fun when one little girl name Ashley began to cough and wheeze, her face turning an alarming shade of grey blue.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See my profile

A/N: This is the last chapter folks. Thanks to everyone who supported and reviewed the story. Merry Christmas to you all.

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"I'll get the nurse," Reid hurried off as JJ attempted to calm the girl and ease her breathing.

He returned almost immediately with a petit brunette in pink scrubs. "Oh dear, Ashley, just a little too much excitement, huh," she said calmly. "Let's get you back to your room for a nebulizer treatment." Morgan scooped the wee girl up into his arms and followed the nurse.

Everyone was silent for a moment when another nurse came into the room. "It's okay," he said, "Ashley's asthma acts up when she's excited. Once she's calmed down and had her Ventolin, she'll be fine and able to join you again."

"That little girl's going to be okay daddy," Jack said.

"Yes, she's going to be fine." He ran his fingers through his son's hair and thanked God his child was healthy.

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_Would this fog never clear? How long was she to be lost in it? Wait, she saw something bright in the distance. It was something yellow. Maybe it was the sun at last. She tried to move toward it, but found she couldn't move. It seemed to be coming closer however and finally broke through the fog. Penelope Garcia, in a bright yellow dress, and Agent Prentiss came into view. "At last someone's come to help me." She said._

"_We can't help you," Garcia said. "Only you can help yourself."_

"_I don't know what you mean," Strauss looked confused._

"_Can the act Strauss," Prentiss said. "It's no secret you'll do anything to get to the top and try to get rid of anyone you think might stand in your way. For you that's Hotch. The love of his life was killed by a man we hunted and he had to fight to the death to save his son, and your idea of compassion was to drag us all through that dog and pony show in your office." The fog lit up again as one by one the team members gave their accounts of what had happened on that fateful day._

"_I had to make sure Agent Hotchner's actions were justified," Strauss defended herself._

"_And you couldn't have found a more humane way," Garcia asked. "Then you offer him retirement, the epitome of kindness and concern. There was no compassion there, was there, just a means you thought you could take to get rid of a rival at his most vulnerable."_

"_It was a reasonable offer," she replied indignantly._

"_You keep telling yourself that," Prentiss said as she and Garcia faded back into the fog._

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Rossi reached into the bottom of a bag and pulled out a Wii system. "Oh wow, Wii," one of the boys named Kenny yelled.

One of the nurses, a middle aged woman with short dark hair, who had come into the room to pass out some medications, put her hands on her hips. "Listen, uh, Dave," she said looking at his name tag. "Are you trying to turn us into referees? When will we have time for nursing if we're going to have to mediate who plays what on that thing?" She snapped at him, but at the same time displaying a slight smirk.

"I thought it would be good for them," Dave defended himself. "It'll keep them occupied, even if they have to be in their beds."

Reid, meanwhile, was removing it from the box and hooking it up to the television to the applause of the children.

"You obviously don't have any kids," she told Rossi, shaking her head, before leaving the room.

"Hey Dave," Connor yelled. "Don't worry about Denise. She's like that all the time. I think she likes you."

"Don't tell him that," Emily said, envisioning wife number four. "He's apt to marry her."

This caused JJ and Garcia to burst into laughter while Connor looked totally confused. "It's okay," Garcia said, "you're young."

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_The fog was like a wall. No matter which way she turned, she could get nowhere. Others seemed to walk through it quite well. Why couldn't she? Her thoughts were interrupted as the fog parted again allowing Agents Rossi and Hotchner into her chamber. "Are you to here to disparage me too? I know you're not here to help me so just bring it on and get it over with."_

"_Who said we're not here to help you. We've all been here to help you Erin," Rossi said._

"_Like either of you would want to help me. If you did you'd help me get out of here," she screamed._

"_We can't help you get out of here," Hotch replied. "The only thing that breaks the fog is the light. Until you see the light, you'll remain locked in the fog."_

"_And how do I do that?"_

"_By seeing what's important. You've already lost your husband to your ambition. Do you want to lose your children too?" Rossi said._

"_I lost Haley and almost lost my son to a psychotic serial killer. I can never get back the times I promised I'd be there and I wasn't. I can never make it up to her. It's not too late for you. I did it because I was trying to save lives, but you; you're just doing it so someday you can sit in the big office that says Director on the door. If you get there, you may find it's a very lonely place._

_They turned to go back into the fog. She didn't follow. She knew it would be no use. "David, Aaron," she said before they left. They both turned back. "Thank you."_

_They nodded and disappeared as silently as they had come._

_She sat, and thought about her children. Michael always liked Christmas Eve more than Christmas itself. He thought there was more togetherness on Christmas Eve. She could see them making smores in Brian's fireplace. Michael loved smores. She smiled at the thought. She caught a glimpse of light; who was coming now, not her children please. She didn't need to hear what a bad mother she was. She knew. No one appeared. The light seemed to come in little flashes. _

Erin Straus' eyelids fluttered as she slowly regained consciousness. Where was she, she asked herself as she looked around, the BAU bullpen. The eggnog came back to her slowly. She felt her head, no bumps or cuts that she could feel. That would teach her about coming back for seconds. She held on to the table as she slowly got to her feet. She stood still for a moment, no dizziness, she seemed to be fine. How long had she been out, she wondered, looking at her watch? She was surprised how much time had passed. She strode toward the glass doors, and then turned back until she was at Agent Morgan's desk. She picked up the phone and punched in some numbers. "Hi," she said when the phone was answered. "I just wanted to find out if you were having a good time. Smores, of course I knew you'd be having smores. I just wanted to wish you, your sisters and your dad a Merry Christmas." She spoke a while longer, and then hung up the phone.

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Ashley had rejoined the celebrations, showing no ill effects from her previous attack. She sat on Morgan's knee running her fingers down the shiny blond hair of her new doll clad in a lacy pink dress.

"Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh," they all sang.

"Okay you guys, "Garcia said, "it's almost time to go to bed because Santa will be coming. But before we do, Dave is going to read the story of the birth of Jesus from the bi…" She stopped dead as everyone's eyes went to the door of the playroom; she turned her head, never expecting to see Erin Strauss standing there.

The BAU members were more surprised than the children. "I hope I'm not too late," she said.

Everyone seemed frozen in place, like someone had pressed the pause button on a remote control. Finally someone stood and meandered through the maze of people and toys to the doorway. "No," JJ said, smiling and softly touching Strauss' shoulder, "it's not too late. Please join us."

"Everybody, this is… uh, Erin," Garcia explained to the children. "Dave was about to read the bible passage. Perhaps you would like to do it," Garcia suggested to the section chief.

"I…I'd like that," Strauss said, looking thankfully at the group and taking a chair given up by Reid. Rossi handed her the bible after she'd dug into her handbag for her glasses and put them on. She cleared her throat, looked around at the bright eyed children and the people she knew looked into the abyss every day to make this world a better place for them, and began. "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world…"

As she read about the birth of the baby Jesus, his bed a mere manger, the star of Bethlehem that shone so bright, the journey of the wise men, and all that it meant, big soft snowflakes began to fall from the heavens, as if lending its blessings to the evening. It was a reminder that, once again, winter was upon them, the coolness outside a contrast to the warmth, not only of the room, but of the hearts and souls of the people within it. In the morning there would be a blanket of white and the excitement of children everywhere would abound once again, but, for now, this intimate sharing between souls was enough.


End file.
